Magic Peanut Butter Middle Cookies

Call this phase one of "I have too much peanut butter in the cupboard." These cookies are one of the best combinations in the world - chocolate and peanut butter. They take a little bit of work (but not too much!), but they're so worth it.

Chocolate Cookie Dough:

• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup brown sugar, packed
• 1/2 cup butter or margarine, softened
• 1/4 cup peanut butter
• 1 tsp. vanilla
• 1 egg
• 1-1/2 cups flour
• 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1/2 tsp. baking soda

Mix together sugars, butter, and peanut butter. Mix in vanilla and egg. Add dry ingredients and stir to mix. Set aside.

Peanut Butter Filling: Mix 3/4 cup peanut butter and 3/4 cup powdered sugar.

Roll filling mixture into tiny balls. My recipe says to make 30. I made 20 out of this batch. Make them small, and then take some off and make them even smaller, at least if you want 30 cookies. Cover each peanut butter ball with chocolate dough. Whether you make big or small balls, you should have just about the right amount of chocolate dough.

My sous chef woke up from naptime while I was making my cookie balls. He wanted to help.

Bake at 375F for 7-9 minutes (if you actually got 30 balls), or about 12 minutes if you made less but bigger, like me.

Cool on pans for a couple minutes, then transfer to wire cooling rack. Or, you know, eat them even though they're hot.

Surprise! Now where did that third cookie wander off to?